These are the five best train tours currently running worldwide that you could take while on vacation or model your railroad from to create beautiful vistas and gorgeous scenery.
These journeys were picked for their classic rail beauty, great scenery, and regional appeal.
They are presented in geographical order beginning with North America.
Canada's Rocky Mountaineer Vacations Routes These three routes, the Kicking Horse, Yellowhead, and Fraser Discovery, are operated by Rocky Mountaineer Vacations in dome car day trains (something fun to build that many modelers haven't tried).
Using coach links, the trains run a day-night circuit with the daytime tours being the spectacular showcase of the area while passengers stay in hotels overnight.
Runs range from Vancouver in a loop and are the destination of vacationers from all over the world.
If you want to build a classic, western-Americas mountain range, this is a great one to base your plans from.
Switzerland's Bernina Express Going over the highest rail summit in the Alps at 7,405 feet, this run between St.
Moritz and Tirano is probably the most-used real world rail line by model railroaders.
It's beautiful Swiss mountain vistas, classic old European styling, and the dramatic curves, climbs and final viaduct near Brusio make this one of the most difficult and enjoyable train runs to both ride and model.
Some of the curves are so sharp and the inclines so steep that you can actually see much of the rest of the train as it moves.
For the modeler, getting some of these exacting grades just right and curving the downhills to match real life are a supreme challenge to engineering skill.
Russia's Golden Eagle Trans-Siberian Express Well-known thanks to the movies, this is the world's longest train journey spanning nearly 6,000 miles.
This 21-car train makes the journey regularly and has been running since Tsarist times.
The longest run, Moscow to Vladivostock, takes 15 days.
Modelers love this run for its ever-changing vistas and appeal and its relatively easy track layout, allowing focus to be on the scenery and train itself.
With plenty of tunnels, changing landscapes, and a beautiful Russian train look, many models have been built with some interesting innovations.
One such is to run two trains simultaneously, with one going underneath the diorama to return to Moscow unseen while a second runs parallel and opposite, creating a one-way loop.
India's Deccan Odyssey Running through the Maharashtra region of India, the Deccan Odyssey was only recently launched, but this hotel train operates a 7-day circuit and the train itself is a traveling resort and spa.
Although it parks during the monsoon period (May-September), this train offers a week-long holiday through some of India's most scenic central region areas.
Modelers enjoy the challenge of the train itself, with the vistas being tough to match as well.
The train itself, being new, has few options for pre-purchased cars, so modelers who enjoy building their own vehicles will love this one for its uniqueness.
South Africa's Rovos Rail Finally, we arrive at the South African Rovos Rail, which many believe has replaced the Blue Train in beauty.
Both trains, however, feature beautiful wood paneling in the carriages and range throughout South Africa on 2-day to 2-week journeys.
Its beautiful design, unique features, and modern observation cars are a favourite subject of model railroading today.